The history of the Twinkie

Twinkie holds a special place in America’s culinary history, remaining the all time favorite. Even though, over the years, it has been scrutinized by nutritionists and labeled “junk food,” the little cakes with the sweet-cream filling still remain widely popular by snackers.
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Mark Lennihan/Associated Press

Twinkies were invented in 1930 by James A. Dewar, a manager of Continental’s Hostess Bakery in Chicago. Dewar’s inspiration to fill the cakes with a sugar-cream mixture came from bakery molds for shortcakes that were sold only during the strawberry season. The name was inspired by an advertising sign “Twinkle Toe Shoes” that Dewar spotted on a sales trip.
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Twinkies with a banana cream filling were sold two for a nickel in the 1940s. During World War II, when there was a banana shortage, the filling flavor changed to vanilla.
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The 1970s were a dark time for the cream-filled snacks. In 1979, lawyers for Dan White, a former San Francisco police officer, who shot and killed San Francisco mayor George Moscone and supervisor Harvey Milk, came up with the Twinkie Defense during his trial. The attorney successfully argued that White should not be convicted of first-degree murder, becuase junk food had curdled White’s brain.
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